The Streetlight
I stared outside my window,
I looked at the hills and sky.
I noticed the reflections in the lake
And the winding road nearby.
I saw the distant flickering lights
Blinking a million times a minute,
Flashy cars passing by,
And a tiny boat with people in it.
I silently bore witness
To the life happening in front of my eyes.
For a moment, I think I understood
What it meant to be a streetlight—
To stand still in chaos and not flinch a bit,
To know all the stories but tell no one of it,
To be serene and calm in the middle of the mess,
Sometimes dark, sometimes bright,
Glowing more, flickering less.
I’ll be like a streetlight on your journey,
You'll rest for a bit in my illuminated veil.
For since you have come, you’ll also go,
And none of us shall sing of this tale.
shadows burn
through the bulb;
they whitewash the
darkness on my skin;
body shapes the fire
within, without. under
the glasslight blinks,
once, twice; brief, alive; in
the longest rain
passing on all her shadows;
heavy and wet, this streetlight's
~cast something~ flickers out —
broken is seemingly not the
same thing as dead.
I walked beneath the streetlight, then, slow paused;
the yellow phosphorescent glow had caused
a strange shadow to hover above mine;
hesitate a while, then did intertwine;
a margin which it long ago transgressed;
an unwanted, and uninvited guest.
Streetlights, nightlights, the shadow is the same;
it is my shadow, mine, I am to blame.
it isn’t all hard,
the world I mean.
there are soft things, too.
it isn’t all
coffee stains, shattered glasses,
dead cats, and broken streetlights
but sometimes it just gets so dark
in the middle of the street
late, on a Tuesday night
that I forget about
fresh baked croissants, my mother,
alive cats, and stars.
There are a lot of those out tonight,
On the downhill road ,
Where I'm standing,
Together with the streetlight
Beside me
In the whisperings of darkness .
I keep on staring at the streetlight,
Wish you are the streetlights,
Which guide my lonely shadow to home .
approach a green light
reflection greeting my car
slivers of brightness
Walking the lone sidewalk with one streetlight.
The only sounds being my thoughts
And the noises of the void
The pale moonlight shines with light
That the street and I lack
The streetlight flickers
I flicker back
___________________
September 27, 2017
Poetry/Free Verse/Choose a Topic - Hope
The Christmas lights can’t shine bright enough
To overcome her pain and the screams inside
Loneliness merging with past replaying ongoing
And the images will not go away with any storm
She tries to stay in the moment, but she still cries
Pleading for answers, kept from her far too long
She’d like to run away in the soft snow instead
And leave not a single footprint behind to see
Maybe then the memories will not catch up to her
No avalanches to keep on falling and surviving
The past has a way of doing this, with strong surges
While it merges with present for things long overdue
She’s tired of waiting under the streetlights at night
Where the snow falls around her, but she is not seen
12/10/16
my streetlight darkness
with cold beverage in hand
and my mind's eyes closed
street by traffic light
cat's contemplating mustache
pimps strolling around
© RAJAT KANTI CHAKRABARTY
16 December, 2014
Silent and still sits the streets at night
The darkness swallows all but a light
It stands alone with an eerie glow,
Casting its shadows on the creatures below.
They crawl and burrow,
Seek and Creep,
All while light has gone to sleep.
The force of the night in its silver gown,
While a blanket of stillness covers the town.
Yes, silent and still sits the streets at night,
The darkness swallows all but a light.
You were a child,
without the hindrance
of responsibility
or doubt of what tomorrow
would bring.
A beast on the kickball
field, and yet a whining
baby when the streetlights
went off. Always fighting
sleep like it was the
neighborhood bully.
You were a clown,
dressed like your
daddy. Trying to
make your mother
laugh like he did.
You got better at
it every day.
You were a gift,
at least that’s what
your mother said.
And now she sits
outside, on the porch
looking out toward the
streetlight. Waiting for
it to go dark, knowing
you won’t be coming
home.
But,
You’re already there,
shining down from
a streetlight in the
sky. Waiting for when
it’s her turn to come
home.
-James Kelley, All rights reserved.
your heart trembles in my hand
as our toes lie in the sand
our eyes meet under the night sky
adoration i can see in your eyes
your breath on my neck
your hands on my chest
hands held under starlight
smiles last forever tonight
street lights too bright
sneaking around tonight
you are mine heart body and soul
you fit me perfect like a mold
i swear this love will never get old
starlight and street lights, will you marry me tonight
suns may burn but you are brighter
and i know this because you make my cheeks burn like a lighter
ever lasting kisses
make me wanna give you the name Mrs.
i go to tell you i love you and my heart glitches
if my heart is broken, then you are my stitches
miracles are true, i know that because in 24 hours you have granted all my wishes
Walk about the night
Gaze a cracked streetlight
Flickering uselessly.
Attempting to illuminate
But overall ineffective
As it's far too damaged to work without drastic change.
So it waits for the repairman
To fix all of the problems
That it certainly didn't cause.
But we are that streetlight
Just as we are the repairman
Now we must take responsibility for what we have done, and correct
ourselves.
Lest the streetlight be forever cracked
And the street without light
Plunged into total darkness.
Bring it back, take it away, love gone tomorrow can never stay
but you wish so bad, you act so rad, but this new love aint nothin like the one you
had
I can't believe that this is me, caught behind a cloudy sea
so I swim so fast, I try to make this last, but every other day is just the Past
It comes so quick, you get so sick, thinkin everything is just another trick
but things don't last, when you run so fast, dealin with a ghost from yesterday past
I hear, you're near, only thing with you is a life of fear
so you crawl, you fall, but I swear it's not better to (d)uck it all
Just wake up, wake up, put together your mask of make-up
face it, and chase it, do anything you can to erase the pain of her s()it
You talk so loud, you cry so loud, but this life is something to make you proud
I guess I should digress but what can I do about this mess
Keep movin' on, keep movin' on, gotta wake up to see that dawn
when her eyes see the lies of her shameless disguise
and the mark makes a spark to light a way in the dark
Tomorrow, your sorrow will be gone tomorrow
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